BONN, Dec 2: The United Nations on Sunday outlined a draft agreement for Afghanistan’s future, saying a text submitted for approval by rival Afghan groups meeting in Germany provided for a six-month interim government and a symbolic role for the former king.

UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said the draft accord also provided for a supreme court and a 21-member special independent commission to organize the convening of an emergency Loya Jirga.

He said he hoped the text would be ready for adoption by early Monday but he stressed the four Afghan delegations meeting near Bonn had still not submitted their nominees for a new 20-30 member interim authority for their war-torn country.

“It (the draft agreement) does envisage a symbolic role for the former king in that he will preside over the opening of an emergency Loya Jirga,” the spokesman for UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told a press conference.

According to the draft text, a Loya Jirga would in turn pave the way for a two year transitional government, a constitution and then finally a broad-based government.

“There is an important missing link here — the names. We are still waiting for the names,” Mr Fawzi said. “It is important we discuss and finalize a list of names in Bonn.”

He said the seven-page draft accord also referred to the “need to secure Kabul and its immediate environs and other parts of the country as necessary”.

“It does refer to the need to deploy a multinational force as early as possible, until the Afghans have been able to build up their police and army,” he explained.

“The multinational force is going to be deployed when the Afghan administration decides when it has to be deployed,” he added.

Mr Fawzi said the four groups here — dominated by the Northern Alliance and the camp of the former king — would meet for more detailed discussions on the draft accord.

“We hope to have a clean text, maybe by tomorrow (Monday) morning,” Mr Fawzi said, indicating the talks were expected to go into a seventh day.

The draft plan for the future of Afghanistan presented to Afghan groups here represents a major step forward but a final agreement may not come until Wednesday, diplomats said on the sidelines of UN-sponsored talks.

“The draft is a successful forward pass and we are now on the 50-yard line,” special envoy for Afghanistan James Dobbins said, employing an American football term. The diplomat also said regarding the prospects of a final agreement: “It is increasingly a question of when rather than whether.” —Agencies